Friday, April 04, 2008

Friday 04/04 A.M. Quickie:Final Four, Favre, NBA West, Cueto Mania!

So, the only question is: Do YOU think Brett Favre will (or even would) unretire? I think he would; his retirement press conference had few absolutes, and you KNOW he thinks he can still play at a high level -- with the right team. It's a delicate balance: If he comes back -- but not with the Packers -- he sullies his legacy, not to mention opens himself up to mockery that his "retirement" was simply the largest yet of a career of Hall of Fame narcissism. I kind of want to see him do it, if only to see the craziness that ensues.

Meanwhile, we've got the Final Four tomorrow: You all know I'm all about UCLA. I appreciate the UCLA-Memphis subplots; the contrasts are fantastic: Love vs. Rose, Defense vs. Offense, Howland vs. Calipari, Final Four experience vs. Final Four first-timer. (UNC-Kansas? Meh: As long as UNC was going to win anyway -- which they are -- wouldn't you have rather seen Davidson one more time?)

MLB? Two words: Johnny Cueto. If not for the Final Four and the Favre thing, the Cueto story would have made a terrific lead item -- about the nature of sick debuts by phenoms that tantalize with the prospects of a great rookie year (even if Dusty Baker is going to pitch him until his arm falls off, which is too bad).

I have been tracking the day-to-day machinations of the NBA West, but -- honestly -- it will be a week before we really get down to the nitty-gritty and placement for playoff seeding begins to fall into place. On the line: Home-court advantage, up and down the line -- from the first round to the finals. Oh, and that 8-seed. In other years, we might discount the 8-seed, but after last season's Warriors amazingness, how can you overlook that team, whoever they may be?

5 comments:

It's no guarantee, I think, that Baker rides Cueto's arm into the ground. I mean, he did pull Cueto after only 92 pitches today, and since he lost the Cubs job, anytime you hear the words "Dusty Baker" you hear about the ugly fates of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. I have to imagine he's heard the criticism, too. Maybe he's learned a lesson.

As a Packer die-hard and farve follower for 16 wonderful years, I guarantee you this rumor is completely false. First, if he were to come back (he won't, but for the sake of argument, let's say), which team that would want him has more talent than the Packers? Secondly, were any team to talk to Favre or his agent, it would be serious tampering. In light of the fact that Goodell just punished the 49ers by taking away a 3rd round (I think?) pick as a warning to the rest of the league, I suspect tampering with a player under a multiyear contract for $10 million a year would result in said team's first or second round pick transfering to the Green Bay Packers.

The thought of Favre unretiring, getting traded and squeezing out one or two more sucky years with the Dolphins, Falcons or Ravens is both hilarious and sad. I don't want him to come back, but if he did, my ideal scenario (and most unlikely) would have him getting traded to da Bears. That would be insane.

I had predicted Favre to retire at the end of this season, but the way he did it left a bad taste in your mouth, like he was trying to get away from Green Bay, not from football. If that turns out to be true, pretty classless, I'd say.

Real question: are the Royals better than we thought, or are the Tigers slumping? And how sick is it that, 4 games into the season, the only team without a loss is Kansas City? No, really, check the standings. I doubt they keep this up, but they could challenge the Nationals for the feel-good story of the year.

It's hard to believe that the LAT would follow up the 2Pac debacle with another flimsy lead, but maybe that's the case. Given their staff shake-ups over the past few years, I'd guess this is just another grasp for relevance....

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.